Free Republic

Texas State Teachers Association throws support behind Strayhorn BY JOHN REYNOLDS AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Republican turned Independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn picked up the endorsement of the Texas State Teachers Association on Tuesday. The group, however, won't be able to help Strayhorn collect the 45,000-plus signatures that she will need to get on the ballot for the November general election. The TSTA is encouraging all of its members to take part in the party primaries, spokesman Richard Kouri said. Because of several high-profile legislative races, "we certainly believe our members should be involved," he said. Strayhorn, currently the state's comptroller, had...

Perry's math on school spending draws fire AUSTIN (AP) — Gov. Rick Perry, as he has proposed financial incentives for public school achievement, has cited a figure of $10,400 a year per student as Texas' rate of spending on education. He attributes the statistic to the National Education Association, the nation's largest teacher group. Perry argues that Texas already puts a lot of money into education, despite what critics say. But a spokesman for the NEA's affiliate in the state, the Texas State Teachers Association, said the $10,400 figure does not appear in any NEA report and is actually a...